Manufacture of elastic plastic masses.



UNITED STATES "ATENT OFFICE. f

THEODOR SETH WENNAGEL, OF HAMBURG, GERMANY.

MANUFACTURE OF ELASTIC I-ILASEITIG MASSES.

No Drawing.

s iecification of Letters Patent. Application filed June 3,1912. .Seria1No.701 ,314.. I

Patented Aug 11, 1914.;

facture of Elastic Plastic Masses; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention.

. ing ebonite-like masses .homologues such My invention relates to the manufacture of elastic, plastic masses.

It is Well known that ketones and alde;

' hydes, particularly the latter, readily polymerize and condense, andnot only among themselves but also in combination v'ith the most various bodies of inorganic or organic nature. This property has heretofore been used for making new "aluable compgunds of many kinds. Particularly the lowest members of the two series, formaldehyde and acetone, have been employed in many ways for the mentioned purpose. Recently, some processes have been disclosed of makby using formaldehyde as a condensation agent, e. g. from-phenol. Various defects are, however, attached to these processes The products obtained in this way are inferior to ebonite, forexample, in elasticity.

.Now a primary object of my invention is to produce a plastic mass to which such defects are not attached.

By means of many experiments I have found that hydroxy derivatives of aromatic bodies, such as phenol-and the higher molecular cyclic compounds, as cresol and naphthol, react with soaps; either resin soaps or fat soaps, as resinate, stearate, palimitate and oleate of potassium, sodium, aluminum, calcium and other metals, and the product reacts with aldehydes to produce con-' densation products that are superior to the condensation products of pure phenols and aldehydes. The quantity of soap used must be considerable, the minimum being more than one-fifth of the equimolecular' quantity of the hydroxy derivatives of the aromatic bodies used, 71. e. the phenolic body or its homologues. The aldehydes can wholly or partially be replaced by-ketones or their as aldoses or ketoses of the sugar group, &c. These new products have considerably more elasticity than thesimilav bodies previously referred to, but also :2 le s expensive, as the starting materials C. until the react-ion occurs.

. are cheaper, and the condensation product is obtainedin one operation in a state ready -for casting ormolding. Likewise, these condensation products are able to absorb relatively large quantities of substances generally known as adhesive substances allied to gums of which sugar and cellulose are types and the albuminous bodies; as glue gelatin and the like are another type. When these products absorb relatively large quantities of cellulose and after the water of condensation has been driven off a flexible,

plastic mass very similar to celluloid is obtained.

If albuminousbodies, 8. g. glue, gelatin andthe like, are addedto the mass before the condensation, after the vaporization of the water of condensation a product very similar to horn is obtained. C

All the hereindescribed products stand temperatures up to 200 C. without changing, while at higher temperatures they are slowly decomposed without melting.

My process maybe carried into practice as follows:

The soaps are first added in the correct proportion to the aromatic body, and heated on the open fire or by steam until the reaction takes place which is somewhat violent and lasts for about twenty minutes. This liquid I will designate a. The aldehyde is then slowly added and kept boiling until the mass begins to thicken.

1. The liquid a may be prepared in large quantities and cooled. In this event the components, liquid at and formaldehyde, are

put simultaneously into a preferably closable vessel or boiler and heated to about In order to prevent the liquid boiling over during the reaction, which lasts about an hour, the heating is diminished or entirely stopped, because the heat of reaction generally suffices to continue the reaction to the end.

After the termination of the reaction the mas is kept boiling until it begins to thicken, whereupon it is poured into molds.

The filled molds are taken into the drying- 1 chamber wherethe drying is begun ata ternperature of 30-40 C. which is gradually increased to C. This drying of the mass is finished after about four days, or I- may proceed as follows I v 2. The components, liquid or and aldehyde, are simultaneously put into the molds andheated' in an autoclave to about 150-170- 0.,

, ing proportions so that a pressure of about 6-8 atmospheres is produced. After being subjected for V twenty-four hours to this temperature and pressure the mass is finished.

For obtaining ebonite-like masses having the above-mentioned advantages the followin parts by. weight of formaldehyde of 40% have proved satisfactory:

No. 1. 33 phenol, 23 potash soap, 11 resinate of sodium, 33 formaldehyde.

No.2. 30 phenol, 20 magnesium soap, l0 resinate of sodium, 151 formaldehyde, l5 sugar.

No. 3. 33 phenol, 23 lead soap, 11 resinate of magnesium, 33 formaldehyde, 8 cellulose. No. 4. 30 phenol, 20 calcium soap, 10 resinate of potassium, 30 formaldehyde, 10 glue or gelatin. 7

It is to be understood that other tions are possible. It is, however, necessary to employ the soaps to be employed in considerable quantitles, the minimum being propormore than one-fifth of the equimolecular quantity of the phenol or its homologues which is employed.

The process of manufacturing a solid, elastic substance, which comprises reacting on a hydroxy derivative of an aromatic body with a soap in quantity more than one-fifth of the equimolecular quantity of said body, with suflicient heat to cause reaction and reacting on the resulting product with an aldehyde also in the presence of heat sufficient to produce a condensation product, and continuing the heating until the product thickens.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

THEODO'R SETH WEN N AGEL.

Witnesses G. BURT BRANDER, AUGUST Mouse. 

